Summer is “the time for the Live Free State to really shine,” declared one website for New Hampshire’s tourism bureau. Anyone who’s walked along the New England state’s pristine Atlantic shoreline or hiked the White Mountains would readily agree.
But late spring also shined pretty brightly in the state this year, especially for those attending the University of New Hampshire Spring Concert in Durham, NH. The three-hour event headlined by MTV Award nominate rapper Lil Tecca was backed up by a bold and intense light show created by the Events United team that featured 58 CHAUVET Professional fixtures, and 30 F4 IP video tiles.
Matching the music of the artists on the 48’ by 64’ stage, the production featured a penetrating industrial look with unique light angles, stark color contrasts, an ample amount of dark space, fog, and, of course, plenty of audience lighting.
“I wanted to create an edgier look using practical pieces on stage,” said production designer Rachel Fahey of Events United, who designed the show. “I included a decent amount of crowd lighting. I think it’s important to include the crowd in what is going on stage. Crowd lighting can help them feel more comfortable to dance or sing along, and for some that’s the best part about going to a concert.”
The rig featured 20 Maverick Storm 1 Washes, 12 Maverick Force 2 Profiles, 18 Color STRIKE M motorized strobe-washes, and eight STRIKE 4 blinders, in addition to the video tiles.
Discussing the rig, Fahey noted: “The Storm 1 Washes was a multifunctional wash that we used for front light and audience light, while the Force 2 Profiles was there to add texture and depth with an assortment of gobos and brightness, and the Color STRIKE Ms were great for pixel mapping and strobing. For audience lighting we relied on the output of the STRIKE 4 fixtures.”
Working with Fahey on the show were Ryan Lane, senior lighting engineer at Events United. “He played a huge role in making the show look its best, and showing the full extent of what the rig can do — his skill and timing were awesome to see,” said Fahey, who also acknowledged the show’s L2s Jack Redding and Matt Corso, as well as LED tech/Resolume tech Felipe Bida, Project/Production Manager and talented audio team led by Chase Clark.
Looking back on the show, Fahey said “We were really proud to have our amazing team pull off a show like this for the college students.” The show did send student off on a happy note at the end of their semester, setting a high bar for summer – even in a state as beautiful as New Hampshire.
For more information, please visit www.chauvetprofessional.com
